LINGUIST List 7.1261

Wed Sep 11 1996

Qs: Unknown language, Intuitive/empirical ling, Epenthesis

Editor for this issue: Ann Dizdar <dizdartam2000.tamu.edu>

We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually
best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is
then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was
instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we
would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.

I have been asked whether I can help to identify the language of the
following text---I have no idea, but I wonder if any LINGUIST
subscribers might help. The text was written by one Alexey Berardi who
killed himself a few months ago, and his parents are trying to
understand as much as possible about him.
Mr Berardi had recently "adopted Native-American beliefs and culture"
(of which tribe, I don't know), and the drum-head on which the text is
written also has various horoscopic and Native American symbols. Thus
it seems possible that the language is, or is based on, an American
language. However, it might also be a private language, or indeed
meaningless. Can the list identify any American language, or say
definitely that it is not an American language?
>Mi SOENI
>MASUGKENUK
>Maeta Piining
>hafa Metah
>Moerke Morsk
>NATTAANDA MAGNA
>Macla-Sax Mataak
>Matchiatchak
>Moot-Tak MeGantic
>Sok-ETAY-AYOO
>NE USSOWES
> TAMAGAN

I am writing a paper evaluating the usefulness of what I'll call
"intuitive" and "empirical" approaches to the study of interaction.
It dawned on me that there are probably discussions about these
approaches in the linguistics literature, but I haven't been able to
locate many--probably a result of my deep ignorance of that
literature. Thus, I would greatly appreciate it if someone could send
my some bibliographic information about relevant books and articles.
Please send me your suggestions privately and I will post a summary to
the list.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Christian Nelson
Dr. Christian Kjaer Nelson
Dept. of Communication
Purdue Univ.
W. Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
cnelsonsla.purdue.edu
phone: 317/494-3323
fax: 317/496-1394

Dear Linguists,
I'm looking for examples of languages that allow single word-final
consonants, but if a consonant cluster ends up in word-final position,
then vowel epenthesis occurs following the cluster. Wolof was
supposed to behave like that, but according to the grammar I found
(Omar Ka (1994): Wolof Phonology and Morphology), epenthesis actually
occurs in between the two final consonants, and not after them (except
for geminates). Can anyone help me to some references?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Krisztina Polgardi
polgardirullet.leidenuniv.nl
=====================================================
Krisztina Polgardi
Leiden University
Dept. of Linguistics / HIL
P.O.Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands
tel. +31-71-5272205
=====================================================